SEATTLE — The Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football promised some prime-time drama. What followed was a surprisingly dominant 34-17 Bears win, a victory that exposed the cracks in the reigning Super Bowl champions and the normally impenetrable home environment at Lumen Field.

The Bears entered the game knowing that it would be a tough test. Chicago head coach Ben Johnson said he had "a tremendous amount of respect" for the Seahawks and quarterback Caleb Williams called Seattle a "worthy opponent."

Yet, it was one of the most dominant performances from the Bears all season, on par or a couple of strokes short of the jaw-dropping 59 points they scored in Week 1 at the Carolina Panthers.

Chicago scored 34 points against one of the best defenses in the league. The Bears' defense picked off the Seahawks' Sam Darnold and sacked him three times, and held Seattle to 1-for-11 on third downs. The Bears' special teams blocked a Jason Myers field-goal attempt in the fourth quarter and hit two key field goals of their own to stay ahead in the second quarter. Everything clicked, in all three phases of the field.

"How detailed we are, it's really cool to see those things come to life in big moments and just throughout the game," Williams said.

Part of that came as a result of the instant impact of defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, who was traded from the Tennessee Titans on Thursday. After a turnaround of three days, Simmons stepped into the Bears' defensive line like he'd always been there, getting a sack (on Seattle's fourth play from scrimmage), six tackles and a pass deflection.

Simmons said he was trying to stay in the moment, even as he went through the whirlwind of a near midseason trade. He traded his signature red sleeves — which he's said he wore so his 3-year-old daughter could recognize him on the field — for orange, and quickly tried to assimilate to a new life with Chicago.

"When I ran out of that tunnel, I just kept telling myself it's, it's just football. Go out there, be me, play by play, be in the moment," Simmons said. "It was a lot of emotion, and I'm grateful to be here and today was a great start."

That great start on defense included Cam Lewis' punishing — and legal — hit of Seahawks wideout Tory Horton on Seattle's first drive that ended in a three-and-out.

Williams and his offense followed by setting the tone of their own with a magnificent opening drive: 17 plays for 80 yards, shaving 8 1/2 minutes off the clock before finishing it off with a 1-yard Luther Burden III touchdown catch.

"That first drive, I thought our guys came out with their hair on fire and I think it carried over for 60 minutes," Johnson said in a postgame news conference. "There were some ebbs and some flows throughout that game, and yet it felt like we responded really well as a team and rallied together."

'I'm happy he's on our side'

Simmons got to the Bears' facility late Thursday night, and immediately got to work, knowing he suddenly had to learn a whole new game plan.

"I was getting ready for the Cincinnati Bengals and I had to flip the chapter to get ready for the Seahawks. So it's all about being a pro," Simmons said. "I showed my coaches that this week that I'm prepared and ready to play, and they trusted me to go out there and make sure I was ready."

Williams was impressed by what he saw from Simmons while on the sideline.

"I'm happy he's on our side," Williams said. "He helps everybody on that field on the defense. He helps the D-line when he gets double team[ed]. He frees up other guys to be able to go be special, and then when he gets one-on-ones, [it] allows him to wreak havoc. And so, I'm excited he's on our team. He's a big key piece for us."

Simmons' readiness was clear to Johnson, who said Simmons "fit right in." That early dominance earned Simmons a game ball.

"His impact was profound," Johnson said.

'The reaction is the most important thing'

The Bears had plenty of things they prepared for against the Seahawks, including Lumen Field's famous crowd noise and the Seahawks' dominant defensive scheme. Johnson said the team had "one of the more elaborate game plans" for Williams to take on.

"It was a fun week," Williams said with a smirk.

Beyond juggling plays, Williams' confidence and composure held the Bears together on Monday night. After a lost fumble from tight end Colston Loveland — really the only significant mistake from Chicago's offense — led to a Seahawks touchdown, Williams spearheaded a response that led the Bears back into the end zone.

Williams went 24-for-34 passing for 247 yards and a touchdown, and took only one sack.

Williams said that he had told his teammates after the Bears' loss to the Green Bay Packers (a humbling 31-7 defeat while Williams was out with a hamstring injury) that the way they responded was crucial to turning things around.

"When an event happens … the reaction is the most important thing, and that equals the outcome. And so, being able to react a certain way, being able to respond in a certain way, the way we did, is really important for us," Williams said. "We obviously don't want those things to happen, especially in those moments, but when [we] do, let's respond. Let's stay steady and be who we are."

Williams admitted that he didn't have a flawless game Monday. One mistake, a delay of game penalty on the way to the team's second-to-last touchdown, actually bailed him out after he'd misinterpreted a play-call.

"Luckily we got the delay of game, because I ended up messing up a little bit, and it allowed us a little bit more time to be able to fix it," Williams said. "The crowd was loud at that point and I missed a word, one word or so, and that's what happens."

Yet, the Bears kept going. Kalif Raymond rushed for a 39-yard gain as they repeated the third down, and D'Andre Swift finished things off with a touchdown that snuffed out the last of Seattle's comeback spark. It was Swift's second of three TDs.

"We didn't come here to make a statement," Johnson said of the Bears' victory. "We're still building, and this is part of that process right now and, and we've got a lot of really good pieces."

Though Johnson may not want to publicly admit it, this is a win the Bears can build on. Their 6-2 record is the team's best start since 2012; they've beaten tough and not-so-tough teams alike, without letting up on the gas.

And two of those "good pieces" — Williams and Simmons — shined.